Trump’s Influence
Welcome back to Politics Explained! This week, we’ll cover a looming government shutdown (and the impact that Trump and Elon Musk have had on it) and some updates on Trump’s transition into office.
Unless Congress passes a spending bill, the government will shut down this Saturday. While a Republican-led bill was introduced in the House this past Tuesday, it was soon disrupted by President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Elon Musk, calling on House Republicans to oppose the bill. Trump and Vance expressed discontent over the Democrats getting too much of what they wanted out of the bill. Additionally, they demanded a higher debt ceiling*. This push against the spending bill was unsuccessful, as the House passed a spending bill without Trump’s request for a higher debt ceiling and we are now waiting for it to be voted on in the Senate. However, the impact that a tweet from Trump had on the risk of a government shutdown shows his strong influence within the GOP.
Next, here are some quick updates on Trump’s transition into office:
38 House Republicans defied Trump by continuing to push for the spending bill, showing that Trump still has limited power within the GOP
In a recent interview, Trump stated he would like to allow DACA Dreamers to stay in the country despite his previous efforts to wipe out the program protecting them
Trump also stated in this interview that he would not go after his political opponents once in office, and instead would let Kash Patel, the pick to run the FBI, to handle these matters
Definition of the Week (debt ceiling): Set by Congress, the debt ceiling, or limit, is the maximum amount of money the U.S. Treasury is authorized to borrow to pay debts incurred by the federal government. Lifting the debt ceiling does not authorize new spending, but instead lets the government spend money on obligations that Congress has already approved.
